St. John's University Athletics
Red Storm Rounds Out Five-Tournament Schedule In Delaware
3/13/2014 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 13, 2014
- GAME NOTES: Delaware Spring Invitational
- Tournament Central
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Leading Off
- The Red Storm will open the event with back-to-back games against Delaware and Robert Morris on Friday before a single-game rematch against the Colonials on Saturday and a weekend-closing game against Cornell on Sunday to round out the event.
- St. John's is 4-1 when playing against Delaware, dropping its only game on March 1, 2002 in a 3-1 loss at the Dixie Classic in Virginia Beach, Va. The Red Storm has outscored the Blue Hens, 14-8, in that time.
- This weekend will mark the first meeting between St. John's and both Robert Morris and Cornell.
- The Red Storm will serve as the home team in both games against Robert Morris (March 14-15) and will be the away team against each host-Delaware (March 14) and Cornell (March 16).
- Fellow BIG EAST member Villanova will also be at the Delaware Spring Invitational this weekend, although the Red Storm will not be playing against the Wildcats in the event.
- St. John's enters the weekend after a 3-3 split at the USF-Under Armour Showcase last week where it also competed against the Dutch National Team, falling to the three-time European Champions, 9-6.
- Live stats will be available on RedStormSports.com and fans can join in the conversation on Twitter (@StJohnsSoftball) by using #SJUSB.
Storm Tracker
- Junior Erin Burner, a 2014 Preseason All-BIG EAST selection, has been coming up in clutch situations for the Red Storm this season. The two-time BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll recipient is leading the team with a .361 batting average including five home runs, six doubles and 13 RBI and a slugging percentage of .738.
- Senior Jackie Reed is averaging .352 this season with four home runs and a pair of doubles and is 7-for-15 with runners in scoring position.
- Freshman Kaitlin Fitzgerald has caught fire at the plate as of late, leading the team with a 9-for-7 (.529) performance for the Red Storm at the USF-Under Armour Showcase, including a pair of walks and four RBI, giving the third baseman a .345 average on the season.
- Freshman Lexi Robles has been a steady force for the Red Storm as well both defensively at second base and offensively, leading the team with 10 walks and three sac bunts while stealing two of the team's nine bases.
- Sophomore Tori Free (6-6) has recorded 58 strikeouts through 55.1 innings this season and has held opponents to a team-leading .193 average after starting in 12 of her 13 appearances in 2014.
- Freshman Grace Kramer has the lone save for the Red Storm this year after closing out the game she started in a 4-3 win over Jackson State on Feb. 15.
Scouting Delaware
- Delaware is 6-10 heading into its home event after winning its last three games including a five-inning, 8-0 shutout over Monmouth on March 2.
- The Blue Hens finished the 2013 season with a 35-22 record, including a 12-9 mark in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), to finish fourth in the league.
- The Delaware offense is led by Jessica Grisler who is batting .360 with a team-leading 18 hits and nine runs this season and is ranked the 49th toughest to strikeout in the nation.
- The Blue Hens' pitching staff is led by a trio of arms: Kiersten Coff (1-1, 2.67 ERA), Kelly Lupton (2-3, 3.95 ERA) and Carolyn Szymanski (3-6, 5.59 ERA).
- Head Coach Jaime Wohlbach is in her fourth season with Delaware, leading the Blue Hens to a 77-107-1 record during that time.
Scouting Robert Morris
- Robert Morris is 12-6 heading into the Delaware Spring Invitational after a 12-day hiatus from action. The Colonials last went 3-2 at the Combat Invitational in Rock Hill, S.C., defeating Furman, Northern Colorado and Gardner-Webb.
- The Colonials finished the 2013 season with a 30-17-1 record, tying for first in the Northeast Conference with a 16-4 mark.
- As a team, the Colonials rank 10th in the nation in fielding percentage (.979) and 23rd in ERA (1.75) and are currently 63rd among the NCAA in winning percentage (.667).
- The Robert Morris offense is led by Tess Apke who is batting .327 with five doubles, four home runs and 12 RBI and a .636 slugging percentage.
- The Colonials' pitching staff is led by Nicole Sleith who is 7-2 with a 0.77 ERA including nine complete games and four shutouts, striking out 68 batters in 63.1 innings of work while holding opponents to a .148 batting average. Her four shutouts rank her 13th in the nation while her ERA puts her in 18th.
- Head Coach Craig Coleman is in his 24th season at Robert Morris, leading the Colonials to a 594-503-5 record during that time.
Scouting Cornell
- Cornell is 3-6 heading into the Delaware Spring Invitational after dropping four of its last five games, earning its only win during that time in an 8-7 eight-inning victory over Monmouth on March 9.
- The Big Red finished the 2013 season with a 21-29 record, including an 8-12 mark in the IVY League, and finished tied for sixth in the conference with Columbia.
- As a team, Cornell is ranked 34th in the nation in doubles per game, averaging 1.56 per contest with a team total of 14 through nine events.
- The Cornell offense is led by freshman Jessica Bigbie who is 10-for-24 (.417) with three doubles and seven RBI this season, earning three walks and a stolen base for the Big Red in nine games this season.
- The Big Red pitching staff is led by a trio of arms: Alyson Onyon (0-2, 6.35 ERA), Sammy Roth (1-2, 8.79 ERA) and Meg Parker (2-2, 9.00 ERA). Parker leads the team with 15 strikeouts in 23.0 innings while holding opponents to a .284 batting average, throwing three complete games in four appearances.
- Head Coach Dick Blood is in his 19th season at the helm of Cornell, leading the Big Red to five Ivy League titles (1999, 2001, 2004, 2009, 2010) and four of the last five Ivy League South Division crowns. During his tenure, Blood has accumulated an impressive 591-303-2 record, including a 192-91 mark in IVY League play.
On Deck
After a 24-game road trip over five tournaments to open the season, the Red Storm will host Manhattan in a home-opener doubleheader on March 19 with first pitch set for 2 p.m.
For all the latest news on the St. John's softball team, log on to RedStormSports.com and follow the team (@StJohnsSoftball) on Twitter. You can join the conversation with #SJUSB. If you would like to be added to the St. John's softball mailing list, send an email to stjcommunications@stjohns.edu with the subject line "Softball Mailing List".
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